Aella
by LightInTheDark245
Summary: Aella is not a hobbit. She is not a dwarf, nor a man, nor an elf. She is simply Aella. She has lived with the wolves and eagles most of her life, and she knows something is changing. She lives and breathes and speaks eagle until thirteen dwarves and a wizard show up at her old home, insisting on taking her to Erebor to face Smaug. Aella has never been one to say no to an adventure.
1. Chapter 1

_**If I were rain,**_

_**That joins sky and earth that otherwise never touch,**_

_**Could I join two hearts as well?"- Tite Kubo**_

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She woke with a start, gasping for breath, forehead sweating. She hunched over her knees, muttering muted curses under her breath. She'd just had the most awful dream- a giant eagle had carried her away while Arsenio looked on, his fur shining in the moonlight. The eagle had flown over many small mountain ranges and forests, and had finally landed in a valley surrounded by mountains so high she couldn't see their peak. As she brought her hands up to rub her eyes, she smiled to herself, planning on telling Torren, Arsenio's pup about it and laughing over it. When she finally opened her amber eyes, she gasped and her right hand flew to the knife that was constantly sheathed at her left hip. The world had gone black. The ground underneath her was not earth, nor grass. It was twigs, covered with a thick layer of straw or hay, of which she could not tell. When she reached up, the fingers of her outstretched right hand connected with feathers, and she snatched her hand back with a small gasp. What was this? Could her dream not have been a dream at all, but a distant memory?

Steeling herself, she reached back up for what she had now assumed to be a wing, and pushed up as she stood. The wing raised surprisingly easily, and she shielded her eyes as the light came flooding past the wing.

The view was incredible. The sun had begun its ascent over the cloudy peak of a mountain to her left, and the golden rays of first light shone onto another crag, and reflecting off the snow at the very top to shine on the small lake that was about half a mile away from the tree she stood in. This brought her back to the issue at hand. She was at the top of a huge tree, in a giant nest, and the Lakota heart tree was nowhere in sight, and at this thought she panicked and swung around to face the owner of the wing that had warmed her during the cold night.

"Your name is Aella, is it not?" it asked her, the words stuttering out of its large beak, suggesting that Westeron was not a language often spoken here, wherever that was. She had to strain her neck to meet its gaze, as her head just reached the bend in its two strong legs. She could now see the true size of the eagle- its incredible wing size mean that the nest was easily 60 metres in diameter, and its immense tawny eyes were roughly the size of her head, and when the eagle tilted its head she remembered the question.

"Yes, it is. I must confess, I do not know why I am here." She replied in equally halted Westeron, which reminded her again of the change of scenery. With the Lakota, she had only ever spoken Vilkas, only very rarely had she ever needed Westeron, if she had needed medicine only humans or hobbits could provide.

"I am honoured to meet you, Aella. May the wind always sing under your wings. My name is Gwaihir, and my father the King sent me to fetch you from the Lakota." Her heart clenched at his words, as they brought images of the pack to the forefront of her mind. "Do they know where I am? I don't even know where I am!" she exclaimed in sudden realisation, trying to resist the urge to put a hand on the hilt of her hunting knife.

"You are in the eastern region of the Misty Mountains, in Ile Si Asa, the valley of the Eagles of Manwë. The pack know where you are and your departure has Arsenio's approval. My father the King suggested that fetching you while you were under the effects of a powerful sleep draught may be less traumatising for you than to have to drag you away from your family. I believe Torren was rather indignant that you were not conscious to say goodbye." He bent down and lowered the wing closest to her. "Climb on my back and I will take you to the King."

Aella took one last look at her surroundings, and moved towards the eagle. Her boot quickly found purchase on Gwaihir's shoulder, and she used her left leg to push her body up and onto his lower neck. Gripping tightly with her knees, she leant forward and grabbed a handful of feathers to steady her body, and took in a deep breath as she felt the muscles in the eagle's back ripple as he prepared for flight. Spreading his vast wings, he turned his head to look questioningly to look at her, and as she nodded, he launched himself off the nest.

The wind whistled in her ears and whipped her dark brown hair off her shoulders as girl and eagle plummeted towards the earth, and she struggled to keep her eyes open as she let out a terrified scream. She leant forward even further so that her chest and stomach were pressed against the feathers that decorated Gwaihir's back, and she knew, even as they continued to fall, that they would not touch the ground. And true to her train of thought, Gwaihir snapped his wings open at the last possible second, and she whooped as they sailed upwards, and banked towards the centre of the valley, where a rock three times taller than any regular tree, and twice as wide as the nest they had just left stood majestically. As they neared the rock, she could make out a lone figure of an eagle, waiting for them.

"Brace yourself, little one, we are about to land." Called Gwaihir, as he spread his wings and angled them so that he could slow their descent. They landed with a muted thud, and Aella took her cue to swing her right leg over Gwaihir's neck and slide to the ground, where she landed in a crouch. As she straightened her body, she looked the second eagle, the King, up and down. He was immensely large, but the way he held himself clearly stated that he was powerful. She could almost feel a sort of aura radiating off of him, and on a whim, she bent at the waist and bowed her head.

"I am Arthmael, the Eagle Lord. You are here at the request of Gandalf the Grey, and you are to stay with us for one year." He said, stepping forward, and speaking better Westeron than her and Gwaihir put together. She wondered where he had had the opportunity to speak the language, but she quickly ended her train of thought as she realised that this was her cue to speak.

Aella stepped forward also, unsure of how to respond. "My name is Aella, your majesty, I am honoured to meet you. If you don't mind me asking, why am I here?" she asked nervously, resting her hands on the small of her back, on the supple leather of her brown tunic.

"Dark times are drawing near, child. An enemy from the north is approaching, surely but slowly. You are destined to help a dwarf reclaim a lost throne, and in order to do so you need the skills we can teach you. With the Lakota you learned to hunt, to heal, to speak their language, but this will not be enough. We must teach you our own language, how to fight an enemy who will fight back, the right plants to eat and so on. You will need all of these things if you are to succeed, and succeed you must, or we are all lost." Arthmael did not break eye contact with her throughout his speech, and Aella found herself growing more and more terrified.

"How long do I have? If what you say is true, then there is no time to waste." She commented, looking around at Gwaihir. "I can hunt, I can fend for myself, but if I am to fight in a war, I don't see how any of you can teach me to fight a man."

"There is a settlement about 50 miles from here, where a small community live in the woods. In a few days we will take you there to see a man who owes us a favour. But for now, you will go with Maysa. She will show you where you will stay for the next year. When the year is up, you will have a day with the Lakota to say goodbye to them. Then you must return to your childhood home, as it is imperative that the dwarf you must help, and his company, do not know of your origins until the time is right. They will not trust a woman straight out of a wolf's den, or an eagle's nest.

"Thank you, your majesty, for your hospitality and generosity. It is an honour to be allowed to live with the eagles of Manwë." She replied. Another eagle she assumed to be Maysa was called over by a short shriek from Arthmael landed swiftly, and knelt so that she could clamber onto her back. Aella nodded to Arthmael, and smiled at Gwaihir, before turning and gripping onto Maysa's neck.

**A/N: So I was reading through this again on my laptop, and I realised that I hated the first couple of chapters, so this is the second draft of the chapter. I'd read it if I were you, as there are changes to the plot and the characters have changed. I realise that not everyone will see this, so I'll post an A/N chapter so you know. Thank you to the people who have followed/favourited/reviewed this fic, I have to admit I am disappointed by the 3 reviews yet 1,200 views... Oh well! Please review and tell me what you think of the changes? Light xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold - Andre Maurois.**

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The eagle took off, and they glided away from the rock towards one of the smaller trees, where a nest sat in the middle of the tree and the thick branches had grown over it, leaving one side open to the elements, but the rest of the circular nest was protected by branches that wove together and bloomed into leaves at the top. It was one of the oddest things Aella had ever seen, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Maysa tucked her body through the opening, and this time Aella gathered her courage to slide off the eagle's back and land in a crouch on the floor of the nest.

"Am I correct in assuming that this is where I will be staying?" she asked, looking curiously at Maysa. "It's so beautiful! I wonder how the branches learned to grow like this..." she mused, tracing a finger along one of the branches.

Maysa nodded, "Yes, Arthmael thought that you might prefer sharing a nest, as we assumed that is what you did with the Lakota. There is a pool at other end of the valley that is heated by underground springs and I thought you might like to refresh yourself before we began training." Aella smiled. "Thank you, that is very kind. A bath does sound wonderful after all, and I don't get much opportunity to bathe in hot water with the Lakota. Would you take me down?"

The short flight to the end of the valley showed her the scale of the eagle population- there were hundreds of nests that formed a circle around the rock she had met Arthmael on: the hatchlings and their mothers lived closest to the rock, while that most skilled warriors formed a shield of sorts around the community. The result was a huge forest in the centre of the valley that had about a 5 mile radius.

When they reached the pool, Maysa landed gently, and once again Aella jumped off of her back and she stood on the cool earth at the base of the tree, and glanced at the water. Before she could say anything, Maysa emitted a few shrieks and trills that Aella assumed was in the language of the eagles. Despite being completely oblivious to what each sound meant, she could catch the general drift. "How do I get back?" she asked, and this time Maysa answered in Westeron: "Scream. We have incredible hearing, so one of us will hear you and come to fetch you, most likely Gwaihir or me, as we've been sent hunting while you bathe." With that, she launched herself off the ground and into the air, and looking up, Aella saw a distant figure in the sky which must have been Gwaihir. She watched them fly off together, before turning to the pool.

It had been a rather long time since she had bathed in hot water, so, muttering to herself, she removed her brown leather tunic that ended just above her hips, and the shirt she had stolen from a nearby village a few weeks ago. She undid her belt, which held her flint and tinder, her knife, some chalk, some oil, a whetstone and a rag. She dropped it on the floor and undid her brown leather breeches, before bending down and yanking off her hunting boots, and the thick socks she wore on her feet. She let the breeches slide off of her legs, and removed her smallclothes. Now naked, she hopped into the pool, and let the steam and heat from the water soothe the aches and pains in her shoulders and back. Reaching up to her thick hair, which was secured in a smooth braid, she undid it, massaging her scalp to relieve tension. She dipped her head into the hot water and washed the tangles out. By the time she was done washing and combing her hair, the water had lost some of its novelty, and she realised she'd spent about an hour in the water, and she should probably be getting out. It was only then that she realised that there was nothing to dry her body with, until she caught sight of the moss a few yards away, and she hopped out to grab some of the moss, and quickly dried herself and reached for her small clothes before something stopped her.

Aella couldn't remember the last time she had seen her own reflection. She was still very small- something that was emphasised by the eagles- but that wasn't a bad thing she supposed, she could hide where others couldn't and it was a hell of a lot easier to sneak up on someone. She had next to no fat- even though the Lakota hunted well, all the physical exercise they did had paid off and her stomach muscles were toned, and her legs were lean. Her shoulders were slim but she had no trouble carrying weight, and her hair, when it hung loose reached her waist. Her eyes were a deep brown to match her hair, and she had a small splatter of sun kisses across her slim nose and her upper cheeks. Her lower lip was plumper than the top one, and both were a healthy pink. But her skin, dear gods, her skin.

It was decorated in scars and bruises, the most devastating of which ran from her right shoulder to her left waist, curling round onto the front of her body. This last year had not been peaceful, the orcs were travelling southwest in hordes, and her days were filled with ambushes and raids, never a quiet moment, in attempts to protect the undefended Shire. This latest and most horrific scar was from a battle fought mere moons ago- the wolves had had to carry her body to Bree, the nearest town, where the magistrate had taken one look at her body, cut in half by enemy blades and called for the best healer they could find. Even with the skills of the healer, it had been a week before she regained consciousness and another after that before she could walk. Needless to say, that before she lost consciousness as the wound was delivered, she still managed to slice the orc's head off of its dirty shoulders.

Shaking off darker thoughts, Aella redressed and rebraided her hair before looking up at the sky. It was around mid-afternoon, and she chuckled when her stomach protested the lack of food when it growled loudly. Glancing around, she spotted a few blackberries, and grabbed a few to munch on while she climbed up the nearest tree. It was no easy task, and by the time she reached her target branch, her hands were stained with blackberry juice and bark. From here, she had a good view of the valley, so she leant against the thick trunk of the old oak, and cupped her hands around her mouth, and screamed.

Within a few moments, Gwaihir was hovering in front of the branch. He opened his beak, and trilled, but even though it was not Westeron, Aella knew exactly what he meant. "JUMP!?" she exclaimed incredulously. Gwaihir nodded, and dove under the branch, presumably to wait for her. She sighed, and with a final glance towards the sky, she sprinted along the branch and flung herself into mid-air. She could hardly breathe; the wind was whipping her breath away, while the ground was getting closer and closer- where was Gwaihir? Death was approaching, her vision was fading…she had never liked heights anyway, what in Middle Earth was she even thin-

Her thoughts were interrupted by her body colliding with a huge mass with a thud. Aella sat up on Gwaihir's back, and started to laugh hysterically, "Oh Gwaihir, I really did think you were going to let me fall!" she spluttered, gasping for breath. The landing had left her winded, she felt like she'd just been punched by an orc.

"I will never let you fall, little one." Gwaihir replied, turning his head as best he could whilst in flight. "Never."

In the next few weeks, Aella became closer to Gwaihir and Maysa, who shared the nest with her, and they would often spend all night talking- she would tell stories of her life with the Lakota, and they would weave epic tales of the deeds their ancestors had done. She was escorted to the village Arthmael had mentioned a week after her arrival, and Daryn immediately began training her in swordplay and archery, and after a few months, she wasn't bad with a spear, either. Her knife-throwing was improving day by day- she learnt to ride both a pony (her size) and a horse (not her size)- and Daryn thought it would be a good idea to teach her to fight from horseback as well. Needless to say, that resulted in more scars and bruises than she had arrived with, but she gritted her teeth and blocked every lunge and parried every blow he could throw at her. Her arms developed more muscles, she was made to run around the circle of trees in the valley three times a week, with varying amounts of weight strapped to her body, and Daryn approved the practice of throwing herself off platforms of different heights in order to teach her body how to land unharmed.

While this took up most of her time during the day, the eagles made sure that they taught her as much as they could. Within a few moons, she was speaking fluently with the eagles in their language, and her Westeron was much stronger thanks to talking to Daryn. However, the year did not pass without incident. Orcs were still travelling southwest, and they flew nearly every week down the mountains to ambush the packs moving down the Great East Road. The three of them moved in sync and with grace and no words- one eagle would carry her to the fight, and she would fall into the fray with teeth bared, growling like the wolves she grew up with. She had nailed fighting with the eagles down to an art, and their actions were seamless and smooth. Each orc or warg she faced would fall to her spear or sword or knife, and she would return to the eyrie after each battle covered in blood and sweat.

When winter fell upon Middle Earth, Daryn's wife Farrah helped her make a set of travelling clothes and winter clothes: new trousers made of thick cloth, and light shirts to layer up under her jacket. On her coming-of-age day, the two presented her with a leather jacket that they had made themselves, lined with thick deer and sheep fur, which would keep her warm on her adventure with the dwarves. Gwaihir gave her a book filled with blank parchment, perfect for drawing, so she filled it with sketches of the eagles, and the wolves, and the view from Maysa's back of the eyrie. Maysa gave her a new spear, which had abstract carvings she had done herself with her claws, and Arthmael presented her with a new sword, and Daryn also gave her a belt and scabbard she could wear at her hip or on her back.

As spring rolled around again, Arthmael began preparing her for the journey- they spent hours poring over maps of Middle Earth, and deciding what she was going to tell the dwarves about her past. Aella had memorized a whole other history- her parents and brother had died the previous year, but she was now old enough to live on her own, so she did- along those lines. All that was left was for her to return to the west.

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**A/N: Again, I have rewritten the chapter. Please review- I have Chapter 7 written, and I'm tempted to leave it unpublished if I don't get much more response..I hate to do it, but I'm desperate for review- I want to know what you think! Where do you think she comes from? What race is she? How will the story differ to The Hobbit? What does Thorin think of her? Will the Company accept her as a fighter, or will they insist she not fight? PLEASE REVIEW! Light xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**You and I will meet again,**

**When we're least expecting it,**

**One day in some far off place,**

**I will recognize your face,**

**I won't say goodbye my friend,**

**For you and I will meet again. -Tom Petty.**

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The day dawned bright and crisp, and Aella woke with a yawn. She reached up and tapped the wing above her, knowing that even if Maysa was still asleep she would lift her wing up. After a year of this routine, it was something that came naturally to the giant eagle. She rolled out from under the wing, and got up to stretch out her back, sighing in contentment as the sun rose from its hiding place behind the nearest mountain, before walking to the nearest branch and heaving herself up. Once she clambered up the weave of branches and reached her favourite spot, she reached into the hollow in the bark that would be just above her head if she sat on the branch. Her hand connected with a small leather book, the journal Gwaihir had given her, and she pulled it out. Now, it was full of sketches of the various eagles in flight, and the nests, the mountains, the valley from a bird's eye view, Daryn and Farrah, the Lakota, the fledglings the first time they experienced snow… Aella settled her back against the rough bark of the trunk, and looked down at the two sleeping eagles: Maysa and Gwaihir. They were the eagles she had shared a nest with, and they were the ones who taught her a lot of her new skills. They were family to her, just like the Lakota were. She began to sketch the sleeping eagles, trying to capture the rise and fall of their chests, and the shape of their wings with all the grace she could muster.

An hour or so passed like this, and with every passing minute, her heart grew heavier. This was the day she was to leave. Aella was glad that she could see her pack again, but it meant that she would have to leave the eagles for an unknown amount of time. With these dark thoughts plaguing her, she continued sketching, as one by one, the eagles of the eyrie woke up.

"Aella! Little one, how long have you been up there?" called Gwaihir, as he rose from where he had been sleeping. She looked down, and smiled at him. "Since the sun rose. Good morning, Gwaihir. Did you sleep well?" she replied, placing her journal and the charcoal stick back into their hollow, before beginning her descent. "Wonderfully, thank you. I had the oddest dream though." He said, with what she assumed was a frown. "You can tell me all about it if you fly me down to the pool?" she offered with a sly smile. "You know I can never refuse you anything, little one." He chuckled, and allowed her to climb onto his back. With a powerful sweep of his wings, he launched them into the air. She whooped and leaned forward as he dropped like a stone, his giant wings tucked into his sides. At the last minute, he spread his wings, and they stopped falling ten feet from the ground, and another swoop of his wings sent them soaring up over the eyrie and into the golden rays of dawn. She was grinning as she slid off his back, and the smile didn't leave her face as she washed in the pool and Aden told her about what he'd dreamed- thirteen dwarves, himself as some sort of human, and a wizard galloping on horseback across a meadow to a giant cottage.

When she and Gwaihir returned to the nest, Maysa was awake and cleaning her feathers absentmindedly. Reality hit her again. She was leaving them. They broke their fast in near silence, each weighed down by her impending departure. Instead of making small talk, both eagles made sure that some part of their body was in contact with Aella at all times. As the last of the berries and the last scrap of meat disappeared, they heard a cry arise from the central rock that also served as a meeting place. It was large enough for all the eagles in the convocation to stand around the outside. With a heavy sigh, they rose, and Maysa cast a glance over at Aella, silently offering her wings. She smiled at the eagle and climbed up her shoulder to sit comfortably in the small dip at the back of her neck. They took flight immediately, and when they landed on the rock, she stood between her two friends, still keeping close to their feathers. When Arthmael arrived, each eagle sunk into a low bow, and when they straightened, Aella was called forward. She went to stand in the middle of the rock, facing the lord.

"Aella, I'm sad to announce that you will be leaving the eyrie today, for who knows how long. You have learned much with us, but now you must follow your destiny. You will leave in the next hour, at the latest. Gwaihir and Maysa will take you back to the Lakota pack, so say your goodbyes." He said, looking down, almost misty eyed at her. As soon as he finished speaking, she was surrounded by the eagles, and they all nipped her affectionately, and called out messages of love and good luck, and wishes that the wing would always sing under her wings, which was a farewell reserved for those closest to the heart. As the crowd dissipated, she watched the eagles return to their nests, until the only remaining were Arthmael, Maysa, and Gwaihir. Dismissing all protocol, Aella wrapped her arms around the king's neck and rested her head on the smooth feathers that decorated the underside of his neck. Taken aback, he raised his head, and then let his head curve over her shoulder. "Thank you for looking after me, Arth." She whispered, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. "Farewell, little one. Destiny awaits, and I don't know how this journey will end, but I want you to remember that there will always be a place for you here." He murmured, before raising his head, and nudging her towards his son and Maysa. With one last nod, he turned and took off, the rays of the dawn glinting off of his brown feathers, looking every bit the king he was.

After collecting her things from their beautiful nest, and placing them in a pack, she swung the pack over her shoulders and onto her back to leave her hands free to clamber onto Gwaihir's back for what she knew would be the last time in a long while, and pressed her body to his warm figure, her hands clutching the feathers that adorned his body. They made the long journey in silence, and she could have sworn that they flew a few miles off track, but she paid no mind- merely watching the sun rise into the sky. When the ground so far beneath her turned to lush green evergreen trees, the two eagles slowed their speed to glide gracefully downwards until the tips of their wings almost brushed the very tops of the tall pine trees and landed. She slid off his back, and immediately wound her arms around his neck. It was only fitting that he brought her back, as he was the one to fetch her from her wolves. Aella was doing her best not to cry- she would see him again, after all, and there wasn't really a reason to cry. Gwaihir gently pulled back from the embrace, and she let go of him, and turned to Maysa. She had been one of the only females Aella had ever known, and so presented some sort of an older sister figure to her, so saying goodbye was even harder. After embracing her friend, she stepped back, and looked at them. "I miss you already and you haven't even left yet." Whispered Maysa, and Aella nodded in agreement. "I know, but I'll see you both very soon. I have a few days after today to make my old home look as if it's been lived in for years, but Arthmael said that it would make it worse if you visited before I leave with the dwarves." She replied, clutching the knife that was sheathed in her belt for support.

"Farewell little one. We shall see each other soon, I swear it. Until then, may the wind always sing under your wings." Said Corantin, giving her what she knew to be a smile, but it looked awkward on his volucrine face. "May there always be light to guide your paths." She replied, looking at both of them, and she turned and left the clearing before her resolve weakened, and she begged them not to leave.

As she strode into the forest, she felt her footsteps soften as her body began to remember how to 'walk like a wolf', and her ears picked up the distant sounds of beating wings far above her. She crept through the forest, looking around for signs of where she was, until she came across a familiar tree. If she walked a little bit further, and went left at this bush- yes! There it was- the heart tree. Aella took a few hesitant steps into the small clearing, and seated herself on the ground, removing her pack and placing it on the ground beside her.

After a few minutes of silence, she heard a scuffle in one of the bushes, and as she turned her head to look to her right, the pack pounced, and suddenly she was covered with squirming, furry bodies, and pink tongues that strained to lick her face, her hands, her neck. "Aella! We've missed you!" she heard one of the pups call, with more barks and yips of agreement from the older wolves. "Oh, I've missed you all too!" she replied, laughing as one of the pups sat himself on her stomach. "You've grown, Torren!" she exclaimed, ticking the tummy of the Alpha's son, and grinning. "Yes and your speech is terrible!" he replied cheekily, licking her nose. "I've been speaking eagle for a year, what do you expect?" she retorted.

Arsenio made his entrance a few moments later, and the other wolves gave him space to walk towards her. She sat up straighter and bowed her head slightly, so as to not challenge his dominance. Hierarchy was a key factor in the pack, and although Aella herself was relatively high in the pecking order, all were submissive to the Alpha. "Aella." He said, his timber voice rumbling. "It's good to see you home again. The year has been too long." She grinned up happily at her Alpha. "I've missed you too, Arsenio," she replied, and he nodded, before retreating into the woods again. As soon as he'd left, shouts echoed around the clearing, begging her to play with them, or talk with them, and Aella found that she couldn't stop smiling as she spent time with all of the pack throughout the day.

The day passed much too quickly for her liking, and as the sun went down, Arsenio, approached her, interrupting the stories she was telling the pups and their mothers about her time with the eagles. "It's time." He murmured, and amidst whines and tears she said goodbye to the pack and followed him out of the clearing, taking a last glance at the pack- each wolf had their eyes fixed on her retreating figure.

She walked with Arsenio for an hour through the forest, but as the sun began to set on the horizon, they arrived at a very isolated house. It was dark inside, and there was ivy growing up the walls. One of the outer windowsills was broken, and the door knocker was barely attached to the door. Aella turned to the wolf beside her, and rested her hand on his shoulder, which came up to her waist. "I know you have to get back to the pack, but do you mind coming in with me? I know I'm being paranoid, but…" she trailed off as Arsenio nodded in agreement. "I know, pup. Follow me."

The alpha wolf pushed the door open with his muzzle, and she walked into the house behind him. The hall was quite wide, with a reasonably high ceiling. On the left was a door that led into a dining room that ran the length of the house, with a table that fit fifteen chairs quite comfortably. The wall opposite the door held a large fireplace. On the right of the hall was the kitchen, with a large oven and a table for preparing food. There were many cupboards for storing provisions, even one that was built into the stone of the house to keep it cool. Directly in front of the front door, another door led to a large sitting room, with three sofas facing another fireplace, and a looking glass hung above the mantel piece. Various armchairs were dotted around the room, with old and dirty blankets draped across them, and cushions that had seen better days decorated the sofas. A bookcase ran along one wall, filled with books that had not been touched for eleven years. A door at the far end of the room led to a smaller room, were various pegs hung from the walls, and brackets, which, when she looked closer, would hold swords and axes. There was some sort of rack on the floor, which was where she supposed she would put dirty boots. Next to the sitting room door, the staircase began, and Arsenio trotted confidently up the wooden steps.

Upstairs was no better. There were three bedrooms as well a bathroom that held a bath and two basins. The outhouse was outside. In the cold. And she could see from the master bathroom window that the wood was rotting. The garden was a mess- weeds all over the place, and the grass had grown so high that she was sure it would conceal Arsenio, large as he was. Aella retreated to the sitting room, and when she sat down on the armchair nearest the fireplace, a cloud of dust rose up. "How on earth am I supposed to get this place sorted in three days? And I have to get enough food to feed a 'large company'! I don't even know how many I'm expecting! I need to find some sort of dress, and a pony so that I can ride and buy food…" she exclaimed, and put her head in her hands. Arsenio nudged her face, and when she looked up, he tilted his head to one side. "Don't worry, pup. The one who told us to prepare you last year was a wizard. He said he would come by before the dwarves arrived to help you. It will be fine. I will come and visit you tomorrow morning. I'm sure Torren will want to come and see you as well. For now though, I will help you gather some firewood for the bedroom, and to find some coverings to sleep under."

So together they ventured into the woods, with Aella wielding a borrowed axe from the house, and gathered kindling, and she chopped up some logs to feed the flames. They discussed her life with the eagles, and what she'd learnt, and what little they knew of the journey that lay ahead of her. By the time Arsenio left, the fire in her bedroom was roaring, and she lay awake under the blankets watching the moon and stars shine, before her eyes shut and she succumbed to sleep.

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**A/N: This is the revised chapter, I'm so sorry to have kept this waiting for so long, I've had a sailing course the week before last and then I've been staying with an old friend in Belgium for a week! I am currently writing Chapter 7 and updating the rest of the story, so hopefully it won't be too long?! Ahha, Light xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**The future belongs to those who prepare for it today- Malcolm X**

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The sunlight shone brightly on her face, and she brought her hand up to shield her eyes. And she remembered where she was, and the joy she had felt when she felt when the warmth of the sun hit her face disappeared. Aella dragged herself out of bed, and headed down to the kitchen with a blanket draped her shoulders, and when she realised that she had no food, she moaned and let the blanket fall to the floor, and she reached for the weapons she had left in the dining room. She fastened the sword in its sheath onto her back, and buckled the belt around her hips.

Opening the door, she let the chill air of the morning hit her face, and feeling much more refreshed, she scouted around in the woods for berries and roots to eat. There was no point in hunting- she needed more firewood to cook it, and she didn't have time to clean up after herself. She ate as she looked for more food, and when her hunger was satisfied and she had drank dew off of the leaves, she returned to the house to make a list of what she needed to do to prepare for the dwarves. She was taught by Daryn to read and write, and after Arthmael's warning when she first arrived in Ile Si Asa, she would take extraordinary lengths to prevent the dwarves from knowing her true origins until she knew it was safe.

She pulled a quill and parchment from the desk in the sitting room that she had overlooked the previous night, and dipped the quill in ink. Food and lots of it was a definite. Arsenio had described a large company of hungry dwarves, and from what she had heard, they ate a lot. The garden and the outhouse needed to be weeded and mended; she needed firewood, ale, blankets and pillows, to clean what she had in ways of bedding and to find a dress and a pony. And then to prepare the food, and fix the outer windowsill, and make the bedrooms habitable. In three days. She was wasting time, and she needed that wizard to come quickly- she needed money to buy food, and she figured he would come by horse, so she could use that to get to Hobbiton. For now though, she would find something to clean the bedding with.

Aella put down pen and parchment, and stood with a sigh, and headed over to the weapons room where she had found the axe last night, and upon closer inspection, she saw that the rug that covered the floor had shifted a little, and now the trapdoor it had been concealing was visible. She dragged the rug out of the room and deposited it by the bookcase, before taking a hold of the ring that was attached to the door. After a few hefty yanks, it shot open and hit the wall behind with a loud bang that sent her stumbling back a few steps. Peering into the gloom, she could just make out some old wooden steps which creaked when she put her weight on them. Groping blindly along the wall, her hands closed over a torch in a bracket, and her hands flew to the flint and tinder in her belt. Once the torch was shining brightly, she continued her descent, and as she walked down, the passage opened into a large cellar, that turned out to be her saviour. In one corner were three wooden tubs that could be used for washing oneself or washing material, along with soaps and bristly brushes for both purposes. In another corner, she saw three heavy oak barrels with a tap on the end facing her, and when she turned the taps, a golden liquid poured out, and upon tasting it she found it was ale. On the floor next to them were a collection of large mugs that stood next to a basket of knives, forks and spoons. Upon seeing them she slumped on the floor, and pulled out her list to cross them off. In the third corner, a great heap of dusty blankets of assorted colours lay forgotten, and she heaved them into one of the tubs, and buried all the soap and two of the brushes in for good measure.

Once these were all upstairs on the ground floor, she went back outside to the front of the house. There were a good few trees she could hang the wet blankets on, so Aella dumped the blankets to the right of the front door, and dragged the empty tub behind her in her search for water. To her surprise, the sound of trickling water reached her ears much sooner than she expected, and when she dipped her hand into the stream and brought the water to her mouth, it was cold and clean. She hadn't expected the river she had drunk from during her time with the Lakota to run so close to the house, as she had never wandered this far beyond the pack territories. Once the tub was full, she began the long task of pushing the tub back to the house.

When she got back, she was shocked to find three figures standing by the door- a very tall man dressed in grey robes, holding a long staff and sporting a rather large grey hat and matching beard; Arsenio, and his son Torren. She grinned as she straightened from her position dragging the tub, and sighed in contentment as she heard her spine pop. Torren immediately heard this and sprinted at her, jumping up at her chest- no easy feat for a pup- and tackling her to the ground. "I was only gone one night, Tor!" she giggled, pushing up at the wolf until he relented and climbed off of her. "I know, but oh! You have to meet Mr Gandalf, oh, he's amazing, he showed me these things he calls fireworks-and-and-!"

"Torren!" barked Arsenio, and the pup trotted back to sit by his father. When Aella looked up at the grey man, she smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "You must be Aella," he said, extending a hand to help her up. She accepted gratefully, and stood. "Yes, Mr- Gandalf, was it?" she replied. "Yes, my dear, I am Gandalf the Grey, and I am tasked to aid the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He said grandly, sweeping a bow.

She mirrored him as best she could. "Please, you have to help me! This house is a wreck! I have no money, only what I wear and the contents of the house, and I'm not willing to part with these things. How many dwarves am I to expect?" she blurted, desperate for the wizard to help her.

"Of course my dear- I do have a few household spells up my sleeve- and oh, there's been a change of plans. The company will be arriving tomorrow evening. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to inspect the house and begin repairs." He said kindly, glancing over at the wolves, then back at her. "Of course." She said, gesturing to the door, and without another word, the wizard disappeared through the wooden door.

Her attention returned to Arsenio and Torren. "Kneel, pup. There is something we want to give you." Said the Alpha, and approached her as she knelt. "You know that we are not ordinary wolves. We are larger, we have our own language, and after our long existence, there are certain things we can do." With these words, he dropped something into her palm, and when she opened her fingers, she gasped. A silver gemstone lay threaded onto a leather thong meant to be tied around the neck.

"Kanta found this after the last orc raid. One of them had stolen it, and she found it a few feet from its body. It's a moonstone- you know our affinity with the moon, and so we thought it appropriate to gift it to you. I must warn you though, it seems to glow in the dark. This can be both a help and a hindrance."

Aella's fingers fumbled to secure the leather around her neck, and when she looked up, the wolf pressed his forehead to hers. "Good luck, pup. May the hunt be good, and may the pack stay close." He murmured. "May the pack stay close." She echoed his words as a stray tear rolled down her cheek. "Thank you, Alpha."

With that, he pulled back and walked over to where the woods, and turned to look for Torren. The wolf was resting in Aella's arms, and the pup- no, woman's eyes were closed. Torren was whimpering, and she smiled ruefully. "I won't be gone long, sweet." She murmured, stroking his back soothingly. "That's what Papa said when you left last time. You only just got back! Why do you have to leave anyway? It can't be that important?" he argued, snuggling closer into the crook of her neck. She sighed. Sometimes she wanted nothing more than to return to her pack, and hide from the wizard and his dwarves. But this was something she had to do, like when she went with the eagles, and look how well that turned out!

"I know, Tor. But these dwarves- they need me. They don't have a home; they don't have a heart tree like we do. They lost it- a dragon stole it from them and killed their kin. They need my help to kill the dragon and reclaim their home. I promise, I'll be back before you know it, and just think how many stories I'll have to tell you: ones with dragons, and wizards and the dwarf king. Stay safe, Tor, and listen to your father and mother. They know what's best."

She gently pulled him off of her torso, and rested her forehead on his. "You promise?" he whined, looking straight into her brown eyes with his deep blue ones. "I promise," she agreed, and pressed a kiss to his nose. "Run along now, Tor- be a good pup." He darted out of her arms, and to his father's side. She stood, and as the alpha turned his head to the sky with a howl, she joined with her own voice, as she heard the wolves of the pack intertwine their voices with hers as they did all those years ago.

When the call died out, Aella's hand went to the gem that hung around her neck, and as the wolves disappeared into the woods, she turned to follow the path that the wizard had taken through her front door.

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**A/N: Revised chapter :) Light xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Today I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, take a deep breath, step on through, and start a new chapter in my life- Unknown**

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As her eyes adjusted to the light in the hall, she was surprised to find Gandalf flicking through her journal, taking a moment to appreciate each drawing. She had left it on the table that she'd moved into the hall to create more space in the sitting room. As the door closed behind her, he looked up and smiled. "My dear, you have a gift. These are incredible sketches- you should take this with you to capture your journey. I have put your mother's cookbook in the sitting room, I hope you don't mind." He replaced the journal on the table, and straightened. "You knew my mother?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, quite well I'd like to think. She was a mischievous one, your mother. She never said no to anything that was disapproved by her parents, and she always loved my fireworks. I do miss her, you know." He smiled wistfully. "You look a lot like her, but you have your father's eyes and his laugh. They were a good match- very in love."

"What were their names? I was seven when they died, I only called them Mother and Father." She asked quietly, looking at the floor. "Your mother was called Ariana, and your father was Lucien. They loved you and your brother a lot. I met you both as babies, and I have never seen such love on a mother's face or such pride in a father's eyes."

Aella wiped the stray tear off of her cheek, and blinked. "Thank you, Gandalf. It means a lot to hear that."

"My pleasure, child. Now, where should we start?"

The strength of the wizard's magic shocked her: it only took the morning and a little part of the afternoon to clean and repair the house and garden. The grass was cut and was a pleasant shade of green, the weeds were gone and the flowers bordered the garden, bright and beautiful. The beds had been remade with fresh sheets and the blankets that covered them were clean and smelt of pine. The outhouse was fixed, and had been covered in a fresh coat of dye that Aella had made out of various roots and berries from the woods outside the house. The outside windowsill was fixed, and there was a large store of wood in each room as well as in the cellar.

They decided that rather than waste the afternoon, they would ride to Hobbiton that day to buy the vast amounts of food they would need to feed the dwarves. It was an uneventful trip- the food was bought and packed into a saddlebag of Gandalf's that seemed to have no end, and they purchased a simple dark red dress for Aella to wear the next evening. Gandalf was a good person to have a conversation with- he had an opinion on everything she mentioned, and they spoke about all manners of things- from Aella's previous life to the history of the dwarf kings of Erebor, and so the time passed quickly and by the time they got back to the house, it was night. They put the food into the kitchen's wooden cupboards and bade each other good night somewhat wearily. On her way up, Aella grabbed the dress and her journal, and closed them in the trunk in the master bedroom. She removed her boots and fell into bed, and there was nothing.

Aella woke early the next morning to the smell of bread baking, and she hauled her body out of the bed and stumbled down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. The wizard was humming as he opened the oven, and pulled the hot loaf out as the smell of bread intensified. He fetched butter from the stone cupboard and opened one of the numerous drawers for one of the knives they had brought up from the cellar. When Gandalf set the loaf and butter on the table, she pulled out a plate for both of them and cut four slices from the loaf. They ate in companionable silence, only the clink of knives against the plates breaking it. When she finished, she stood and took to the basin to run cold water over it. Aella put the bread and butter away, and cleared the wizard's plate once he had finished, and cleaned it and put it away. When she turned back to Gandalf, he was standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'm leaving for the day, my dear, it is necessary for some of the company to arrive before me. I've left your mother's cookbook on the bookcase in the sitting room for you. We have all of the ingredients for most of the recipes, and if you're anything like your mother, which you are, you'll be like a whirlwind in the kitchen. That's what Aella means, by the way: whirlwind. All that is left for me to do is wish you good luck- I will see you later this evening and I'll have a mount for you when I arrive." He smiled, and swept a small bow and with that, he strode across the hall and to the front door. "Goodbye Gandalf, and thank you for the bread!" she called, and she heard the front door close, and watched through the kitchen window as Gandalf the Grey mounted his horse and galloped down the path until he was out of sight. She smiled to herself at the oddity the man was. He dropped important facts into small talk and left- she had never known that her name had a meaning.

Sighing, Aella splashed her face with cold water and drank from the tap that Gandalf had installed above the basin. It was quite ingenious really- he found a way to supply the house with fresh water so that she didn't need to carry water back from the stream six times a day. She didn't quite understand it, she supposed she would have to be a wizard to, but it didn't matter because all she had to know was which way to turn the tap. Heading into the sitting room, she pulled her leather tunic off and put it on the nearest armchair, leaving only her cotton shirt and the binding she wrapped around her chest for modesty. She crossed to the thick book Gandalf had left on the bookcase and flicked through the various recipes. There were pies, stews, stuffed meat, roasted meat, smoked fish. She clearly had a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it in.

By the time the sun began to set, the house was filled with the aroma of cooked food. The table was set, there were mugs for each dwarf, and the food was ready to eat on platters in the kitchen. She had brought the boot rack into the hall and it was neatly under the table.

Glancing again at the setting sun, Aella snatched up her tunic from the sitting room and ran upstairs to swap her shirt and breeches for the red dress. Walking back down to the sitting room to look in the mirror above the mantelpiece, she grimaced. The bodice clung to her torso and her reluctantly accepted curves, and the skirt brushed the floor, leaving her legs feeling bare underneath the flowing skirt. It didn't look too bad, she thought, tugging at the bodice in an attempt to make it looser, but she still preferred her own clothes. She had already stored her other clothes, her sword and the axe, and her journal along with her belt in one of the chests in the master bedroom, and her knife was strapped to her left thigh. The stone from Arsenio hung about her neck, resting just under her collarbone, but not low enough to be concealed by the dress. She quickly rebraided her hair- some strands of dark hair had escaped during her cooking adventure.

Aella fetched the food from the kitchen and set it down from the table- she would have to get one of the dwarves to carry the ale up for her, the barrels were much too heavy for her to carry up the cellar steps. She lit the fires in the sitting room and the dining room, and soon the rooms were considerably warmer and the faint scent of pine filled the house as she had put some pine needles onto the flames. Retreating to the sitting room, she sat on the central sofa with her legs crossed, staring into the flames absently. Her thoughts were interrupted by a heavy knock on the door and she tried to slow her breathing as she strode through the house to pull open the door.

The dwarf on her front step was a lot taller than her, with a bald tattooed scalp and a thick beard. He wore some strange covering over his hands and a brown cloak over his body, and she could see the tips of an axe over his shoulder. "Dwalin, at your service." He said gruffly, bowing his head. "Aella, at yours." She replied nervously, resisting the urge to wrap her hand around the knife resting on her thigh. "Can I relieve you of your...er...weapons? The dining room is just through here, and I have ale in the cellar, but I can't lift the barrel, it's too heavy." She explained, as Dwalin unloaded his body of weapons into her arms. There was a variety of weapons, which proved that dwarves were adaptable to many different types of fighting, as Gandalf had mentioned earlier the previous day. A double headed axe, various knives, and a long sword were unceremoniously put into her arms and she almost buckled under the weight. He thanked her, and headed into the dining room.

"By Mahal's beard, lass, did you cook all of this?" He exclaimed turning to look at her through the doorway. "Yes," she called, as she carefully placed the weapons on one end of the hall table. "It took me all day." She finished, as she came to stand by him. "Would you mind helping me with the ale?"

She showed him the cellar, and he lit the torch with the flint in one of his various pockets. As she pointed out the barrels, Aella heard another knock on the door, and rushed back up the stairs to answer it, leaving Dwalin to bring up the ale. The second dwarf to arrive was older than the first it seemed, for he had a long white beard and white hair, and a deep red cloak much like the colour of her dress. "Balin at your service." He grinned, sweeping a bow, and she smiled as she returned the bow and introduced herself. "By any chance, Mr Balin, do you have any kin with a similar name, as a Mr Dwalin arrived a few minutes ago?" She asked, whilst motioning for him to give her his weapons. As she added the second lot of weapons to the table, Dwalin appeared from the sitting room with one of the barrels over his shoulder, and grinned broadly when he saw his brother. "Balin! Brother, how are you?" He exclaimed, and set the barrel on the ground before reaching for Balin, and they knocked heads with a sickening clunk that made Aella grimace and look away. "The food is in the dining room, Mr Balin and if Mr Dwalin would be so kind, so will the ale. Would you like some?" She said, gesturing towards the dining room, and glancing gratefully at Dwalin. "Just Balin, lass, and a mug of ale sounds wonderful." He replied, walking into the dining room and reappearing with two mugs. Aella followed Dwalin into the kitchen, and when he set the ale barrel down in the corner, she filled the two mugs up and presented them to the dwarves. They thanked her and went to sit in the dining room, helping themselves to food and talking amiably.

She lent on the hall table, with a loud exhalation and grinned to herself. If all the dwarves were like this, she could cope. Dwalin seemed nice enough, and Balin reminded her of Arthmael too much for her to not like him. She glanced into the dining room again, and chuckled as she heard the two dwarves praising the food. As she stood back up to join them, two simultaneous knocks echoed through the house.

Aella swung open the door for the third time to reveal two dwarves this time, both quite young. One was blonde with charming blue eyes, and a moustache with two braids on each side. He had a cheeky grin, and a short beard on his chin and his eyes sparkled as they looked her up and down. The other, who must have been his brother, had the same cheeky smile, but had dark brown hair and eyes. "Fíli," announced the blonde, with a smirk. "And Kíli," added the brunette, and they swept a bow. "At your service."

She laughed, and swept a curtsy. "Aella, at yours. Do come in." Aella opened the door wider and stood back to let them in. "The party _is _here isn't it?" asked Kíli, looking around the room. She nodded, still chuckling. "Let me take your weapons, and Kíli, I see that you've got mud on your boots. I won't be having you tracking in dirt all over my house, so give me those as well, and I'll sort them out later." She ordered, reaching for the boots with one arm, whilst the other was reaching for Fíli's weapons. The blonde dwarf began producing knives of all sizes from thin air- just when she thought he couldn't possibly have any more on his body, he reached behind him to the back of his neck and pulled out two more. "Careful with these," he said, with slightly narrowed eyes. "I've just had them sharpened." She smiled, and twirled the knife on the top of the pile with the fingers of her left hand expertly. "I'm just as familiar with a knife as you are, Master Dwarf." She winked at him, and he laughed, before he reached for the next wave of weapons. He also carried dual swords strapped to his back, a war hammer hung in his belt and added to the pile from nowhere were three throwing axes. Meanwhile, Kíli had yanked his boots off, revealing socks that were also caked with mud, and seeing that Aella had her hands full with his brothers' weapons, he wedged them onto the boot rack he saw under the table.

When all of Fíli's weapons were on the table, and he was removing his own boots, she caught sight of Kili's muddy socks, and once the young dwarf was devoid of weapons she looked at him and Fíli knowingly and they both handed over their socks, which she stuffed into their boots.

She stood up and brushed her hands on her skirt, unaware of the way Fíli had watched her body as it bent over to put the socks away, and of how Kíli had elbowed his brother when he saw. Turning back to the brothers, she took on an authoritative tone. "Right! Food is in the dining room, I can get you some ale if you bring me your mugs, and Balin and Dwalin are already here. How many more are to come?" She asked, walking over to the dining room door to look at the food again. "Umm... Just Óin, Glóin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, Thorin and Gandalf." Said Fíli, coming to look over her shoulder.

"Do I have enough food for them all?" She murmured, partly to herself. "Yes, definitely! That would be enough to feed a company twice our size, Miss Aella." He commented, and she turned to find him directly behind her, with an impressed expression. "Just Aella, please. I've never cooked this much food before, I thought it was better to do too much rather than too little." She said, smiling and squeezing past him to check on the dwarves in the dining room. "More ale, anyone?" She called over the din that the three dwarves were creating. All three raised their mugs, and she collected them in and took another mug for Fíli, who was still standing in the hall looking at the food and went to the left side of the dining room, where the barrels of ale sat underneath the window. Once the four mugs were full, there was another knock on the door and she pushed the wooden mugs into Fíli's hands and went to answer the front door.

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**A/N: Revised :) Light xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Make new friends but keep the old; those are silver, these are gold- Joseph Parry**

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It swung open, and a group of dwarves toppled over each other, and all landed on the floor of her house. They picked themselves off of the ground, laughing and introduced themselves one by one, and she just kept smiling and nodding through the whole affair, until there was only one dwarf left and Gandalf, who had been waiting patiently behind the rowdy group. The dwarf had an innocent face, and bright eyes, and he clutched a thick leather journal to his chest. "Ori, at your service," he squeaked, and bent in a nervous bow. "Aella, at yours." She replied, and offered to add his weapons to the huge pile on her hall table. He handed over a slingshot and a knife, and then went to join his friends and kin in the dining room. She ushered Gandalf in, and shut the door behind him, leaning against the solid oak and sighing heavily.

Soon enough, most of the food was gone, and the dwarves were halfway through the second barrel of ale. Aella counted them in her head, trying to match names to faces, and realised that Thorin, the leader of the company, was late. "Balin!" she shouted, trying to be heard over the rowdy dwarves. When this failed, she sighed and put two fingers to her mouth, and let out a high, loud whistle that she had learnt from Daryn. Hands were clamped over ears, but Óin remained blissfully unaware, merely turning his head to look at her.

"Thank you. Does anyone know where Master Oakenshield is? He can't have got lost, there's only one road that leads through here." She said, with a puzzled expression on her face. "Don't worry about Thorin, Aella, he may have the worst sense of direction out of everyone I've ever met, but he'll find his way here eventually." Chuckled Dwalin, and at his statement the rest of the company lifted their mugs in agreement. "That may be so, but I'm going to put a torch on the bracket outside." She muttered as conversation started back up, and she quickly grabbed a couple of small pies and a bit of meat for the absent dwarf, and set them on a plate in the kitchen. Once she had a lit torch in her hand, she opened the front door and was faced with a tall dwarf with elaborate braids in his hair, his hand clenched in a fist, poised to knock on the door. His deep blue eyes were cold and unforgiving as they looked her up and down. She heard a stampede of feet behind her and when she turned, she saw that the rest of the company had gathered behind her to greet their leader. "So…" said the dwarf ominously, "this is the burglar." Aella turned to raise an eyebrow at Gandalf and stepped back when Thorin walked into the house and stood in front of her. "Umm…yes, that would be me." She answered, closing the door on the cold night air. "So tell me…girl…what is your preferred weapon? Sword? Spear?" he asked menacingly, circling her like a predator does its prey. Aella smirked. "Well, I'm pretty good at conkers, if that's any consolation."

The company roared with laughter at the dumbfounded expression on the king's face, and Aella couldn't hold back a chuckle. "I was joking. I fight with both sword and spear, I use knives and I'm decent with a bow." She said, and was once again amused at the look on Thorin's face when he heard those words coming out of a woman's mouth. The group of dwarves behind her were silent for the first time that evening. "What?" she asked, turning to look at them. "You thought Gandalf would select a woman to travel with you on the road who was unable to defend herself? You want me to help you kill a dragon, do you not? I don't understand why you're so shocked!"

The company were still unable to speak, and she looked to Gandalf for help, and he nodded in understanding at her. "Thorin, my friend. Come into the dining room, we have much to discuss." He said, and ushered the company into the dining room, leaving Aella in the hall. She listened from the doorway as they spoke of hidden doors and forgotten keys, and when she heard her name mentioned, her ears perked and she stood straighter.

"Can I trust this…Aella girl, Gandalf? She is barely of age and she says she can fight with four different weapons! If she is lying then we will have an extra person who cannot pull their own weight. You must be absolutely sure that she is reliable." Said Thorin in an undertone, glancing around at the company. "Thorin, you asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Aella. She has much more to offer than any of you know, including herself." Replied Gandalf angrily.

"Very well. Fíli, give her the contract, wherever she is." Commanded Thorin, leaning back in his chair. "Did you lot leave me any food, or do I have to go hungry?"

Aella quickly retreated from her spot in the doorway to the kitchen, where she fetched the food she had set aside and the last mug before Fíli caught up to her. "Aella, if you would sign this, then we can officially accept you as a member of the company." He said proudly, extending the contract that Balin had drawn up for each of them. She put the refreshments down on the counter and wiped her hands on her dress. Quickly scanning the contract, she smiled darkly when she saw 'incineration' and 'funeral arrangements', and signed the parchment at the bottom with a flourish. "Does this make me an honorary dwarf then?" she asked with a grin, returning the contract to Fíli. "I suppose it does!" he agreed with a cheeky smile, and threw his arm around her shoulders as she picked up the food and ale for Thorin.

He escorted her back to the dining room and she placed the food and ale in front of Thorin with a warning glance, as he nodded in thanks. "Lads, lets welcome the newest member of our company with a song!" cried Fíli, and she flattened her body against the wall as plates began to fly.

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!  
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!  
That's what good Aella hates-  
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_

_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!  
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!  
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!  
Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;  
Pound them up with a thumping pole;  
And when you've finished, if any are whole,  
Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what good Aella hates!  
So, carefully! carefully with the plates!_

When the singing was done, the plates and bowls and cutlery all sat on the dining room table, all sparking clean, save the plate that Thorin was still eating from. "Very impressive, thank you. That's saved me a lot of time this evening." She said, chuckling as she met the eyes of each dwarf as she knew was polite. "Into the sitting room, I think, Aella, if you would lead the way?" suggested Gandalf, and she nodded and crossed the hall to go into the cosy sitting room, and settled herself on one of the comfy armchairs and wrapped a blanket around her legs. The dwarves filed in and each found a seat, and the room was filled with quiet chatter as they pulled out pipes and began smoking. The noise died down and Aella found her eyelids drooping until the dwarves began to hum and sing; led by Thorin, who was staring into the flames just as she had done hours before. A shiver ran down her spine as they sang of forgotten gold and the fall of Erebor. As the last notes faded into nothing, she stood and smoothed back her hair. "I think it's time for bed," she said quietly, and quietly crossed the room to the door, and turned back to look at her company. "I have made sleeping arrangements for all of you. I know you must have been travelling for a while, so I thought a bed and a hot meal would be good for you. If you would bring up the blankets and some of the cushions from this room; I'm afraid not all of you will get a bed as I only have three, but I found some spare mattresses in the cellar and I cleaned them for you."

Aella carried on through the hall and up the wooden steps and stopped by the door of the master bedroom. The footsteps of the dwarves echoed up the stairwell, and Thorin was the first to appear on the landing. "I put you and your nephews in this room, Thorin." She said quietly, and opened the door to reveal the bed and the cold fireplace. She opened the trunk that was underneath the window and took out her flint and tinder, and set about lighting the fire as Fíli and Kíli came into the bedroom. "Thank you, Aella. Where will you be sleeping tonight?" inquired Thorin, and she stood and brushed her hands off on her dress. "On one of the sofas downstairs will be fine for me. You need a soft bed tonight, you've all travelled so far to get here, it would be rude to deny you a small comfort."

She went to exit but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "There will be five in the other two rooms, and there are only three in this room. My nephews and I will share the bed, you should take the mattress. I insist." Said Thorin not unkindly, so she smiled and thanked him, before leaving the room to take control of the dwarves waiting outside. When she returned, the fire was roaring and someone had closed the curtains. The dwarves had shed their thick outer coats, leaving them in cotton shirts much like her own and their trousers. Thorin's boots sat next to the trunk underneath the window. Fíli and Kíli already lay under the covers, and Thorin sat on top of the blankets and sheets talking to them. Aella slipped quietly across the room, and snuggled under the blankets she had put on the mattress, and turned her head to listen to what Thorin was saying. She smiled when she realised he was telling them a story about how he and his sister and brother slipped a sleeping draught into their father's wine and while he was asleep they had painted his face with dyes and braided ribbons into his hair. As Thorin wove the story around the crackling of the fire, Aella slipped into a deep sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, the fire had been reduced to glowing embers, and the first rays of dawn were peeking out from behind the curtains. She sat up and peered over the bed to see that all three were fast asleep. Careful not to wake them, she slipped out from under the covers and raised the lid of the trunk next to her head. Once she had retrieved her other clothes, her weapons and her leather journal she snuck out of the room and into the bathroom. Yanking off her boots, she undid the ties at her back that held up the dress, and the robe fell to the floor, only to be replaced by thick brown leather trousers that clung to her legs once she had untied her knife from where it had rested the previous evening. She quickly wrapped the coverings she wore around her chest for support, and pulled her cotton shirt over her head, which was quickly followed by the tunic. Daryn's belt was tied around her hips, and the knife was slid back into its sheath, as was her sword. Aella took her hair out of its braid and redid it, tighter than before to keep the hair out of her face. Shrugging on the jacket, she slid the knives into the sheathes on the inside of the jacket, and picked up Maysa's spear.

Aella opened the door, clutching her dress in one hand, and checked to make sure she could count thirteen different snores, which she could, and tiptoed down the stairs. The downstairs rooms were empty save Gandalf, who was still asleep on one of the sofas. She stored the dress in one of the unused kitchen drawers and quickly exited the house, careful not to make any noise when she shut the door. Pressing her back against the wooden door, she inhaled the fresh scent of the morning, closing her eyes for a brief moment, before continuing on her way. The mounts of the company had been tied up near the river- fourteen shaggy ponies and a large grey horse for Gandalf. The pony without many bags on it must be hers, and so she spent the next few minutes assuring the animal that while she may smell like a wolf, she wasn't going to eat it. She used the language of the eagles as best she could, and this seemed to calm it somewhat, so as she assessed the saddle and saddlebags. A bedroll was strapped on behind the saddle, and when she opened the bags she was pleased to see that Gandalf had put some extra throwing knives in for her.

She slid the knives into the spare sheathes in her jacket, and continued moving around the herd of ponies, murmuring quietly to each in another language. Once she was certain they wouldn't run from her, she sat down against a silver birch, laying the spear down by her side. Tilting her head up, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face.

"Am I interrupting something, Aella?" asked a silky voice, and she sat up lazily to smirk at Fíli. "No, Master Dwarf. I was enjoying the morning. Come join me." She replied, patting earth beside her and closing her eyes again. She heard the thud of his footsteps as he approached, and sat down in the spot she had indicated. After a few moments of silence, he looked over at her. "Now what?" he said, exhaling loudly. "What do you mean, now what?" she replied, cracking an eye open to look at him. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked, leaning on one arm to look at her. Aella sighed and mirrored his position.

"You're supposed to enjoy these quiet few moments here with me, because soon we will be on the road with thirteen dwarves and a wizard, and there will not be a moment like this for a while yet. Please. Just for a few minutes, then you can come and help me make breakfast." She pleaded, and her face broke into a wide grin when he nodded and sat back against the tree. Her heart sang as she listened to the robins somewhere above her singing, and the steady rhythm of Fíli's breathing, which she found oddly comforting. _No, Aella_, she scolded herself internally; _you are NOT going to fall for this dwarf! You have to confront a dragon and Yavanna knows what else on this journey, you can't afford to be distracted by those wonderful blue eyes and that hair...NO!_

She stood up abruptly, shaking off those thoughts, and cleared her throat. "Come on. I've got fourteen hungry people waiting for breakfast in that house." Holding out a hand for the dwarf to take, she was surprised when he grabbed the proffered hand and pulled himself up, as when he stood, their faces were very close together, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. "Well, we'd best get inside to feed them then, you haven't seen hungry dwarves, and I really don't think you want to." He murmured, and stepped back with a cheeky smile, and headed back for the house, leaving a dazed Aella to follow.

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**A/N: Revised! Finally :D Light xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**We may stumble and fall but shall rise again; it would be enough if we did not run away from the battle- Gandhi**

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When they re-entered the house, no more of the dwarves were yet up, and Gandalf slept on, so with the help of Fíli she made eggs and toast and large mugs of tea for those with headaches from last night's ale. As she cooked, she chatted to Fíli about the Blue Mountains, and his mother and the journey from there to here. He was an interesting person to talk to, she found- he asked questions, he was polite and he cracked jokes. She was glad to have made a friend so quickly on, and she hoped that she could befriend the other dwarves just as quickly.

By the time the dwarves had come downstairs, demolished the breakfast and packed up, she had been given a pack by Gandalf that she could wear both on her back and strapped to the pony, which had contained an oilskin for when it rained and a jacket sort of like the ones Fíli and Kíli wore under their thick dwarven coats, only it was black and ended at the same place her jacket did. She had slipped the gifted jacket on over her tunic, fastening her belt over it, and then donning her own coat. She thanked him, and filled the pack with her thick socks (another discreet gift from Gandalf), three extra blankets, two water skins and as much food as she could carry. There would be opportunity to hunt whilst travelling, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Finally, the company was mounted, and they waited for Aella to lock the front door and slip the key into one of her jacket pockets, and she jogged over to where the company sat on their mounts and climbed onto her pony. As they began to move, she thanked Yavanna that Daryn had had the good sense to teach her to ride.

The next ten days passed quickly and Thorin kept the pace up, and she gradually got to know the dwarves better. She listened with interest as Glóin sang praises of his wife and son, and soon discovered that Balin was an avid scholar, and he took to spending hours of the journey with her, teaching her the history of Middle-Earth, something she never tired of hearing.

he and Nori routinely challenged each other to slip things from the other dwarves, without them noticing- in fact, so often that when a dwarf reached for his pipe, or tobacco and found it gone, his first reaction was to turn to the two chucking friends at the back of the group. Aella made it her mission to coax Ori out of his shell by showing him her drawings (not of the wolves or eagles), and in turn he found himself revealing his own sketches.

She often found herself dismounting to walk often, feeling more at home on her own two feet than on the pony. "Why do you walk, Aella? The ponies are sturdy, they don't mind the weight." asked Bofur as he steered his pony to walk next to her. "I want to walk while I am still young enough to do so, and I don't ride much, so I'd rather not get too many saddle sores or stiff muscles." She replied, not taking her eyes off the road ahead.

"While we speak of this, I was wondering, and stop me if I'm being rude lass, but how old exactly are you?" asked Balin, trotting up behind them. She turned around so she was walking backwards and smiled at the older dwarf. "I'm eighteen."/

Balin stared in shock, and Bofur choked on his breath. "You're merely a child, lass! Eighteen…by all rights you should be with your parents still! You have no business coming on such a dangerous quest at this age!" At this, Aella's expression grew stony. She had never liked to talk about her parents, because it brought back too many painful memories of the day they died. "My parents are dead, Master Balin. We do not age as slowly as you dwarves." Turning, she put her foot in the stirrup of the saddle while the pony still walked, and swung herself up. She did not look at them; instead, she focused on her fingers gripping the reigns, and blinked back tears. After a muffled conversation behind her, Balin drew up his pony next to hers and leaned over to grip her hand. "I'm sorry lass. I didn't know, and I spoke rudely. Forgive me?" he said quietly, and she looked up and nodded, sniffing. "It's alright."

"I don't mean to pry, but how did they die?"

he looked up at the road ahead from her position leading the group. Balin could see her eyes growing darker with grief, and almost wished he hadn't asked, but he could see that she needed to talk to someone about it, even if she didn't want to, so he waited patiently for her to speak.

"I was seven. We were travelling back from my grandfather's house, and bandits attacked. My mother killed five of them before she died, and my father took a blade for me and my brother. One almost killed me as well, but…well, the wolves came. And when I turned around after it was done, my baby brother lay on the ground in front of me, with an arrow sticking out of his chest. He was only five."

"I'm sorry. It's hard to lose one parent, but much harder to lose one's family in one blow."

Aella smiled dryly. "I have a new family now. They can never replace my first family, but they are family none the less." Before Balin could ask anything else, the road became more risky, and with the light fading as it was, Thorin quickly called the company to a halt as they drew closer to the ruins of an old farmhouse, and Aella was able to evade the older dwarf. Gandalf was no longer with them- he had left as they entered the Trollshaws, saying he had to look into something. The ponies were led off to be tethered down to graze for the evening, and Fíli and Kíli were sent to keep an eye on them. Aella busied herself with helping the dwarves set up camp- Óin, with his older body had trouble bending to lay out his bedroll, so she quickly set it up for him, and he thanked her with a gruff smile and a hand on her shoulder. A fire roared in the middle of the camp, and Bombur had seated himself nearby, chopping up herbs for the broth. She settled herself next to him, clutching a bunch of herbs that were foreign to the Lakota pack territory, but were common in Ile Si Asa, and she passed time discussing seasoning with Bombur, who she discovered was a keen chef. Once the broth was finished, she scooped servings into bowls and Bombur yelled for the dwarves. One by one, they filed over, chatting and laughing as they collect their bowls and spoons from Aella.

As they settled around the fire, her eyes wandered over to where she knew the ponies were, and picked up the two bowls that had had been left for Fíli and Kíli. "Bofur! I'm taking these over to the boys!" she called over her shoulder, as she left the farmhouse in search of the two missing dwarves. After walking a way through the trees, she found the dwarves standing together, motionless and facing away from her.

"Fíli? Kíli? What's wrong?" she asked, more than a little confused as she came to stand between them. "We've encountered a slight problem. We had sixteen ponies. Now there are only fourteen." Explained Fíli quietly, and she quickly set the bowls down, and the three of them searched the surrounding area where the ponies grazed. "Daisy and Bungo are missing!" announced Kíli, striding back into the clearing where the abandoned stew lay. Aella jogged after him, and over to Fíli, who was staring at an uprooted tree. "That is not good at all." She muttered, putting her hands on her hips. "Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" she wondered, glancing back to where she knew the rest of the company sat eating.

"Nah, best not to worry him. As our official burglar, we thought you might to look into it." suggested Kíli, glancing slyly at his brother. "Hey! There's a light over there!" exclaimed Fíli, hopping over a log and moving quickly through the trees towards it. Kíli was quick to follow, and so she had no choice but to jog after them, years of hunting meaning that her footsteps made no noise on the forest floor as she ran.

The three of them crouched behind a fallen tree, and watched the glow of another fire move over a nearby tree. Aella could hear something sneeze in a low voice, and another laugh. "What are they?" she whispered, looking at the brothers either side of her. "Trolls," snarled Kíli, and he and his brother climbed over the tree to get even closer, leaving her once again to follow. Just as she caught up with them, they pressed their backs to trees, and she threw herself to the ground, watching in horror as a troll walked past, a protesting pony under each arm. "He's got Myrtle and Minty!" she hissed in indignation as he walked towards the fire. "They're going to eat them, we have to do something."

Having crawled over to the dwarves, she looked up at them expectantly. "Yes! You should!" agreed Kíli, pulling her abruptly to her feet. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you, it's perfect!" he explained, looking hopeful. "I'm not an idiot Kíli. How about this? You go get the others, and I'll create a distraction. Fili will sneak around behind them and free the ponies. If they get violent, I'm sure we can hold them off long enough for you to come back with the rest of them."

The men exchanged glances, and nodded. Kíli took off in the direction of the camp, and soon disappeared into the night. Aella turned to look at Fíli. "You ready?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Yes. How are you going to distract them?" he asked, glancing at the troll camp. She grinned cheekily and winked. "I have my ways." He grinned, and turned to begin making his way around the clearing. She steeled herself, and crept after the still moving troll, listening to complaints about mutton. As she entered the clearing, she saw the first troll putting Myrtle and Minty in a crude pen where Daisy and Bungo were being held. Two other trolls sat by the fire, one stirring food in the pot over the fire and the other watching. The watching troll filled the air with mindless chatter and complaints, while she contemplated the best way to do this.

"She glanced at the floor beneath her feet, and grasped a nearby stick. She saw Fíli's blond hair on the other side of the clearing and he caught her eye, and sent her a wink. She grinned, and took aim before letting the stick fly through the air to hit the back of the first troll's head. He was still securing the ponies, and as the stick connected with his head, he turned to snap at his complaining companion. "'Ere, Bill, what was that for, ya stupid-" he smacked Bill across the face, sending him sprawling on the ground. She quickly grabbed another stick and sent it flying at the cook, who immediately turned on 'Bert'. The scuffle that ensued enable Fíli to make quick work of the rope that secured the ponies, but she groaned in frustration as the fleeing ponies attracted the attention of the trolls, who broke off the fist fight in time for 'Tom' the one who had stolen the ponies to grab Fíli out from where he had hid desperately from them. "Eh, what's this? Are there any more of you?" growled Tom, shaking him up and down. "What? No!" Fíli insisted, but to no avail. "I don't believe you. Let's hang 'im over the fire, make him squeal!"

Aella sighed resignedly, and stepped out into full view, and cleared her throat, attracting the attention of the smug trolls and a horrified Fíli. "There's only me."

Bill looked very pleased, and reached a hand out to grab her. "There's two? Wonderful, that's a lovely meal that is!" She quickly stepped away from the hand, and forced herself to laugh. "Eat? Us? Don't you know what we are? I would have thought it was obvious!" Glancing over at Fíli, she caught his eye, and silently urged him to go along with it.

"Um, yeah! I thought everyone knew, but I guess not!" he hastily agreed. "Well then, what are yer?" asked Tom, sneering at her. "We're…shape shifters! Yes, that's it! And because we can shape shift, you can't eat us, because we're poisonous!"

A hand snatched her up before she could react, and suddenly her feet were two meters off the ground. "I don't believe you. I say we eat 'em!" Aella rolled her eyes, and was reaching for one of her knives when a roar erupted from the woods. The company burst into the clearing, swords brandished, and Kíli called for the trolls to drop his brother and his friend. "Bad choice of words!" she yelled as both she and Fíli were hurled at Kíli, and they knocked him to the ground.

Meanwhile, a full out attack on the trolls had begun, and she quickly drew her sword with her right hand while her left automatically reached for her spear, but closed on empty air, and she cursed when she realised it was back at the camp. Nevertheless, she charged into the fray, mainly focused on keeping the dwarves from harm rather than attacking. She ducked under a troll arm, and blocked a swing of Tom's club, saving Dwalin from what would have broken a few ribs. He nodded gruffly, and she smiled. Turning her body, she stuck her sword into Bert's lower leg, and he let out a roar of pain, and she quickly dodged the blow he sent her way. A flash of grey caught her eye, and she turned to see Gandalf making his way to the boulder that blocked the sunlight, and she knew she had to keep the trolls distracted for as long as it took, so she threw herself back into the fight, and was utterly focused until she saw Tom swing a blow at an oblivious Fíli, and she sprinted in his direction, pushing past dwarves and trolls.

She leapt forward, her right foot extending to push Fíli out of the way, and she groaned in pain as the huge wooden club connected with her midsection and sent her flying across the clearing, where she smacked into a tree and fell painfully to the floor. Her vision was dotted with stars, and her hearing became distant but despite the agonizing pain, she managed to heave herself to her feet, and gazed at the boulder Gandalf now stood on. "May the dawn take you all!" he yelled, and split the boulder in two with a single blow of his staff, and the trolls suddenly stopped moving, and she watched in horror and satisfaction as their skin slowly turned to stone. She grinned in victory, and took a few steps towards the dwarves. "Aella!" cried Fíli, and she smiled as he came to a stop in front of her and put his hand lightly on her shoulder. "You took that blow for me. Why?" he said gently, his clear blue eyes looking deep into her brown ones.

"Thought it'd be a nice thing to do." She wheezed, grinning at him, and had to put an arm around her torso as a jolt of pain shot through her.

The next hour passed very quickly for her- a short conversation between Thorin and Gandalf later, and Dwalin, Balin and Dori were sent after the ponies, she made Kíli fetch her sword for her, and Fíli insisted on carrying her back to the camp. "You took that hit for me, and you hardly weigh anything, I'm insisting on this, Aella!" he exclaimed. "I can walk, I swear! It's not that bad!" she protested, and then had to swallow her words as another shock of pain washed over her.

The walk back to the camp was filled with empty chatter, and as soon as she was set down on her bedroll, Óin sent the others away in an effort to give her privacy as she was forced to strip down to her binding. Aella was grateful to him- not only was he treating her, but he had made no comment on the more than obvious scars that littered her stomach. "Just as I thought," he muttered, spreading a cool green salve over her stomach and left ribcage. "Three broken ribs, light internal bruising, severe external bruising. This'll be sore in the morning, lass." He smiled grimly, and began to wind bandages around her torso. This done, he helped her sit up and pull on one of her light shirts leaving the tunic and jacket off for the night. "Thank you, Master Óin." She said, smiling up at him. "Get some rest. And it's just Óin." He patted her shoulder and retreated, calling over to the rest of the company that they could come back to the camp.

As expected, Fíli and Kíli came immediately to her side. "How are you?" Kíli asked, seating himself on her left, as his brother settled on her right. "I'm fine. Three broken ribs, light internal bruising and severe external bruising are what Óin said, but it barely hurts." Fíli scoffed. "That is an understatement- you literally flew across the clearing!" he exclaimed with a dark look.

Kíli grinned at her. "What my idiot of a brother means to say, is thank you for taking the blow for him. I'm thanking you as well- if Fíli had taken it, he'd have been complaining the whole night! I have a feeling you won't." This extracted a laugh from her, and she glanced at Fíli, and laughed even more when she saw his playful pout. "That's mean, Kíli. I don't like you anymore." He whined, and shuffled so that he had his back to the two of them. "Aww, Fee, you know I love you really," said Kíli, reaching over Aella to tug one of his brother's braids. "I KNEW IT!" cried Fíli in joy, and he lay back on her lap and grinned up at her.

"Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Really." He agreed with a wink, and she blushed, and quickly looked up at Kíli, who promptly lay back so his head and upper shoulders rested on her lower thighs. She groaned, and threw her head back. "I feel like a troll sat on me. You guys are heavy!" she whined playfully, attempting to push them off.

"We're not moving." Announced Fíli, settling the rest of his body into a more comfortable position. "I am, but I'll be back!" cried Kíli, and ran off to fetch blankets for the two of them, and when he came back she sighed in defeat and lay back as well, closing her eyes.

She'd never had a better night's sleep in her life. And if Fíli woke up in the middle of the night to find her hand carding through his blonde locks, he didn't say anything.

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**A/N: I'm so sorry! I seriously have no clue why my doc manager suddenly hates me :(Thank you for telling me CherryTree230! Now that it's sorted, thoughts on the chapter? It's my longest yet! Light xx**


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